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Hiring A Contractor repair in Orlando, FL

Updated 2026-08-11 · Sources verified 2026-07-20

Thinking about hiring a contractor in the Orlando area? Here's what actually matters — permit rules for Orange County and the City of Orlando, plus the mistakes and code requirements that trip up homeowners, sourced from manufacturer manuals and the Florida Building Code.

Do you need a permit?

It depends on the exact scope. Orange County and the City of Orlando require permits for more than most homeowners expect — and the rules change. Check the county's official "Do I Need a Permit?" page or call your local building department before starting work.

Orange County and the City of Orlando run separate permit offices with separate portals — and your mailing address alone doesn't tell you which one covers your home. Check which permit office covers your address →

Key facts before you start

The questions worth asking a contractor all have checkable answers: a license you look up yourself, insurance, and who pulls the permit. Start with the license, and do not accept a photo of a card — search the name or license number yourself at the state's own lookup (myfloridalicense.com, the DBPR license search). Florida gives this one real teeth: under FS 489.128, contracts "by an unlicensed contractor shall be unenforceable in law or in equity by the unlicensed contractor" — meaning an unlicensed operator cannot sue you to collect. And scope matters as much as existence: Florida's handyman allowance covers only work "of a casual, minor, or inconsequential nature" under $2,500 (FS 489.103(9)), and it never covers electrical or plumbing, which are licensed trades at any price.
Ask what deposit they want, because Florida attaches a clock to the answer. Under FS 489.126, a contractor who takes "as initial payment, money totaling more than 10 percent of the contract price" must "apply for permits necessary to do work within 30 days after the date payment is made" and "start the work within 90 days after the date all necessary permits for work, if any, are issued." So a large deposit is not automatically a red flag — but a large deposit followed by no permit application within a month is a statutory violation, not just slow service. Know those two numbers before you write the check.
Ask WHO pulls the permit. The right answer is the contractor, under their licence — a pro asking YOU to pull an owner-builder permit for their work is shifting liability onto you, because the owner-builder exemption (FS 489.503(6)(a)) is written for an owner "supervising, and doing the work" on their own home, and it assumes you carry the responsibility an inspector would otherwise put on the licence holder. Also ask about the paperwork threshold: in Orange County, "if value of work exceeds $5000, a Notice of Commencement is required" — a contractor who has never heard of an NOC is telling you something.
Ask for proof of insurance, and treat it as a normal question rather than a rude one — Florida itself does. For one licensed inspection trade the state even publishes the number: a company issuing wood-destroying-organism reports must carry errors-and-omissions coverage of "$500,000 aggregate and $250,000 per occurrence" or demonstrate net worth over $500,000. For general and building contractors, ask for a certificate of insurance for both liability and workers' compensation — and note that a crew member hurt on your property without workers' comp becomes, very quickly, your problem.
Never let the company that TELLS you there is a problem also SELL you the fix — on two trades, Florida flatly prohibits it. FS 468.8419 bars a mold assessor from assessing a structure their company remediated within the last 12 months, and vice versa, and bans referral fees in both directions. The same conflict logic governs termite and wood-rot inspections: neither the company nor the inspector may "have any financial interest in the property inspected." If one salesperson offers to inspect AND remediate, that arrangement is what the statute was written about — get the diagnosis and the repair from different companies.
After a storm, a different law applies, and the friendly free roof inspection is where it bites. FS 489.147 makes it illegal for a contractor to offer "a rebate, gift, gift card, cash, coupon, waiver of any insurance deductible, or any other thing of value" in exchange for letting them inspect your roof or file a claim. They may not interpret your insurance policy or adjust the claim unless separately licensed as a public adjuster, and they owe you a good-faith itemized estimate. A repair-or-replace contract missing the required notice can be voided "within 10 days after executing it," and one signed during a declared emergency is cancellable within 10 days by certified mail.
Be suspicious of permit talk that sounds too convenient. Florida's new under-$7,500 permit waiver (HB 803) is real but excludes "any electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical, or gas work performed on property containing a single-family dwelling," bars splitting a job into pieces to duck the threshold, and does not apply in flood zones — so a contractor citing it for a water heater, a panel, or anything structural is misreading the law they are quoting. And "no permit needed, it saves you money" is the oldest red flag there is: the permit protects you at resale and at claim time, not the contractor. When in doubt, the guides here carry the sourced permit answer for each repair.

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Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit for hiring a contractor in Orange County, FL?

It depends on the exact scope of the work — check Orange County's official "Do I Need a Permit?" page or call your local building department before starting.

When should I call a licensed professional instead of DIYing hiring a contractor?

The questions worth asking a contractor all have checkable answers: a license you look up yourself, insurance, and who pulls the permit.

Are there specific building-code requirements for hiring a contractor?

Ask what deposit they want, because Florida attaches a clock to the answer.

Sources

https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/489.128
https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/489.126
https://www.myfloridalicense.com/wl11.asp
https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2024/489.103
https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/489.503
https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2024/468.8419
https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2024/489.147
https://www.floridabuilding.org/fbc/commission/FBC_0426/Commission/Summary_HB-803.pdf
https://ccmedia.fdacs.gov/content/download/21782/file/Understanding_Wood_Destroying_Organisms_Report.pdf
https://www.orangecountyfl.net/PermitsLicenses/Permits/RoofPermit.aspx

This guide is general informational content, not professional or legal advice. Codes and county rules change — confirm permit requirements with your local building department, and use a licensed professional for electrical, gas, structural, or main-line plumbing work.

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